High Court of Uganda

The High Court of Uganda is the third court of record in order of hierarchy and has unlimited original jurisdiction, which means that it can try any case of any value or crime of any magnitude. Appeals from all Magistrates Courts go to the High Court. 

The High Court is headed by the Honorable Principal Judge who is responsible for the administration of the court and has supervisory powers over Magistrate's courts. 

Physical address
Plot 2, the Square Kampala
66 judgments

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66 judgments
Citation
Judgment date
October 2025
Appeal held partially successful: property from deceased father but surviving spouse retains a lawful interest; caveat partly justified.
Succession law – Letters of Administration – caveat against grant – rights of surviving spouse in undistributed estate – application of amended Succession Act to pending distribution – entitlement to caveat and legal beneficiary status.
1 October 2025
September 2025
Counter-claim dismissed: claimant failed to prove contractual deliveries, price and quantum with reliable admissible evidence.
Contract law — proof of contract and essential terms — best evidence rule — original document required; Delivery evidence — authenticated delivery notes vs unsigned entries; Audit/reconciliation reports — requirement for maker’s testimony to avoid hearsay; Civil standard of proof — claimant must prove contract, performance, breach and quantum on balance of probabilities even in ex parte proceedings.
23 September 2025
Appellate court set aside judgment where plaintiff failed to prove pleaded 2019 debt and relied on irrelevant 2020 bank transactions.
Commercial law – burden of proof of indebtedness (Evidence Act s.101) – pleadings must match proof – parol evidence rule – inadmissibility of unpleaded subsequent transactions to prove pleaded claim – appeal court’s duty to reassess evidence and probabilities.
22 September 2025
Whether the plaintiff owned the depot stock and whether the defendant unlawfully converted it.
Property ownership – evidence of ownership: loan agreements, trading licence and tax assessment naming sole borrower/owner; Family/ matrimonial context – distinction between marital status and proprietary interest; Tort of conversion – wrongful exclusion and assumption of dominion over property; Remedies – declaratory relief, general damages, interest, and costs; Burden of proof in civil claims – balance of probabilities and requirement for strict proof of special damages.
22 September 2025
Petition for dissolution of marriage dismissed for lack of proof of a valid marriage; court lacked basis for divorce or custody orders.
Family law – Divorce – Customary marriage – Jurisdiction – Proof of customary marriage – Domicile – Burden of proof – Whether a Ugandan court has jurisdiction to dissolve marriage celebrated abroad – Requirement for cogent evidence of customary marriage.
3 September 2025
The court confirmed that lawful authority and proper burden of proof justified the clamping and impounding of a vehicle for unpaid parking fees.
Civil procedure – appeal – re-evaluation of evidence – burden of proof in civil claims – parking charges and vehicle clamping – delegated authority under local government bye-laws – fair hearing – technical drafting issues in grounds of appeal – costs.
3 September 2025
Admitting an untranslated vernacular document into evidence fatally vitiates trial proceedings and necessitates a retrial.
Civil procedure – admission of documentary evidence – language of court – requirement for certified translation – Section 88 Civil Procedure Act – retrial ordered due to procedural irregularity – nullity of proceedings based on evidence not in English.
3 September 2025
July 2025
The court assessed compliance with SIM card registration regulations and discretionary breaches by MTN Uganda.
Telecommunications Law – Customer service obligations – Regularization of SIM card data – Breach of service terms.
10 July 2025
Plaintiff's claims proceed against most defendants, counterclaim valid; objections mostly overruled, allowing trial on merits.
Civil procedure – preliminary objection – cause of action – frivolous and vexatious suits – counterclaim procedural requirements.
10 July 2025
The court dismissed the suit as frivolous and lacking a cause of action due to significant procedural flaws.
Civil Procedure – Preliminary objection – Cause of action – Frivolous and vexatious claims.
7 July 2025
June 2025
Application to amend witness statements and add evidence dismissed as premature due to procedural non-compliance.
Civil procedure – amendment of witness statements – introduction of additional evidence – requirement for joint scheduling memorandum and scheduling conference.
30 June 2025
Application dismissed as first and second applicants failed to provide affidavits, lacking merit for time extension.
Civil Procedure – application to set aside interlocutory judgment – defective affidavits – extension of time for defense filing
25 June 2025
Application for leave to appeal dismissed over lack of substantial grounds as the primary appeal remains undecided.
Civil procedure - leave to appeal - absence of final judgment - grounds of appeal lacking merit
23 June 2025
Application dismissed due to lack of support from management committee and defective affidavit of support.
Civil Procedure – Application competence – Management Committee Resolution – Authority to depone affidavit – Legal proceedings
23 June 2025
The court overruled preliminary objections, holding that fraud discovery timings and valid claims against state entities warranted proceedings.
Civil procedure – preliminary objections – cause of action against state entities – statute of limitations on fraud claims.
19 June 2025
High Court dismisses application for revision due to lack of locus standi and recommends review under Section 82 instead.
Civil Procedure - Revision of lower court decisions - Locus standi and jurisdictional errors under Section 83 of the Civil Procedure Act.
18 June 2025
Application for vacant possession is stayed pending related appeal and transferred to the Commercial Division.
Civil procedure – application for vacant possession – pending appeal and stay of execution – transfer of proceedings.
18 June 2025
Applicants failed to demonstrate bona fide triable issues, resulting in dismissal of application for leave to defend.
Civil Procedure – Summary Suit – Application for leave to defend – Authority in joint defense – Triable issue requirement
18 June 2025
The High Court found the application for compensation on wrongful execution res judicata, previously adjudicated.
Civil procedure – res judicata – improper execution of decree – compensation for wrongful attachment of property
16 June 2025
May 2025
Land recovery and trespass claims dismissed as time‑barred and for lack of actual possession.
Limitation Act (Cap. 290) – s.5 (12‑year period for actions to recover land) – accrual at dispossession; Actual possession requirement for trespass – claimant must be in possession to sue for trespass; Adverse possession/extinctive prescription – s.16 extinguishes title after 12 years' adverse possession; Pleading requirements – claimant must plead any disability to extend limitation (fraud/concealment); Preliminary objections – time‑bar objection can be dispositive, obviating need to decide other objections.
26 May 2025

 

15 May 2025

 

15 May 2025

 

15 May 2025

 

15 May 2025

 

6 May 2025
March 2025

 

31 March 2025

 

31 March 2025

 

18 March 2025

 

13 March 2025

 

10 March 2025

 

10 March 2025

 

10 March 2025

 

10 March 2025
February 2025

 

20 February 2025

 

18 February 2025

 

18 February 2025
January 2025

 

28 January 2025

Civil Procedure—locus standi—legal representative—misnomer—Order 24 Rule 4(1) CPR—Order 41 Rule 1 CPR—temporary injunction—abated suits—substantive justice—failure to substitute legal representative—appeal dismissed

28 January 2025

 

28 January 2025

 

28 January 2025

 

21 January 2025

 

9 January 2025

 

9 January 2025

 

8 January 2025
December 2024

 

18 December 2024

 

11 December 2024

 

11 December 2024

 

10 December 2024

 

10 December 2024

 

4 December 2024